Could Saquon Barkley add an MVP award to his already crowded trophy case one year after winning NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year? It might not be as preposterous an idea as it sounds.

There is little doubt that Barkley will be the focal point of the Giants’ offense this season, potentially producing upwards of 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards as head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula craft a scheme that must fill the void left behind by the departure of Odell Beckham Jr. and his 124 targets last season.

Barkley (60-1). The Giants are also one of the most likely teams in the league to improve in 2019, and with Odell Beckham Jr. leaving, Barkley is the most likely candidate to get credit for carrying the team. They seem decades away from the playoffs, but we also very well might have said that about the likes of the Bears and Colts a year ago, or the Rams two years ago. Barkley also should be running behind one of the league’s best run-blocking lines after New York traded for Kevin Zeitler this offseason.

If the Giants are going to be in the mix for the playoffs, thus bolstering Barkley’s hypothetical MVP candidacy, he would need to have the type of season that has put Rams running back Todd Gurley and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in the conversation in recent years.

Barkley is more than prepared to carry the offense, if necessary.

“I don’t think any number is too high for me personally,” Barkley said last month, of possibly logging more than 300 touches. "At the end of the day, I know I sound like a broken record, but you will hear this for as long as I am in the NFL, as long as I take care of my body, my body will take care of me.

“I will continue to have my team around me. Obviously, have a great strength staff here and a great training staff here. Have to be a pro outside the facility. Whether it is 350 touches, 400 touches or less touches next year. Whatever I have to do to have this team compete for a championship, I am going to do.”

Should the perfect storm of the Giants’ rebuilt offensive line taking a significant step forward and Barkley improving on his historic rookie campaign while leading the Giants to the postseason, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he is in the MVP conversation next January.